Archive for the 'Interviews' Category

22
Feb
12

Interview w/ Doro / The Electric Boa Drummer Johnny Dee

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Categories: Interviews

Interview w/ Doro / The Electric Boa Drummer Johnny Dee

We recently conducted an interview with Doro Pesch / The Electric Boa drummer Jonny Dee. We caught up with Johnny at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville PA 1/31 after The Electric Boa’s set opening for Anvil. CHECK IT OUT

RN: I just wanted to clear up any Britny Fox rumors that may be out there. Is there going to be a reunion?

Johnny Dee: For me it’s been sort of a failed opportunity for us. It’s very obvious that there is some place out there for us as a band in a nostalgic sense. Everybody else from that time, if they are able to play and work they are out there doing things. For me it’s a no brainer. But to be honest I have not spoken to those guys about it in a while.

RN: Is it something you would want to do?

Johnny Dee: I’m just waiting. I wish we all could get together and just talk. The reality of it is we are not going to get together and do two hundred shows a year. It’s not going to be a band that is going to be current. It’s going to be a festival type thing. Get together, do about twenty five or thirty shows during the summer, play the songs that everyone loves and shake hands and go our own way and get back together if something comes up.

RN: How about getting back with Tommy Paris?

Johnny Dee: I don’t think so. We tried that but everyone seems to want the original lineup. Tommy was great. Vocally the guy can sing his way to Mars. He can hit the highs and the lows. Bite Down Hard was one of my favorite records to make.

RN: The live CD was great. We were at the tapings for that record. Those shows were killer.

Johnny Dee: We were hungry. He had something to prove. And I think we made a great fucking record. Then at that time a lot of the bands that came from that era just started to crumble at no fault of there own but that’s just the way the industry went. The 80’s style bands started to take a back seat again so we all just kind of said we can’t take this any further. And we took a break and now here we are. All this time has past. We don’t have forever. If we are going to do something let’s do it. And for me, there is no reason why it can’t be done unless you absolutely don’t want to do it or if someone does not want to see another person ever again in their life time. I try to be a better person than that. I can forgive and be professional. And really it’s about the fans that grew up on that. I am a fan of bands and I don’t want to see them bullshitting and fighting and talking shit about each other or whatever. It takes the fun out of it. I want to see them play the songs that I like, the songs I grew up on and the songs that mean something to me. And that’s what Britny Fox is to a lot of people. I would love to see a reunion happen and I am up for it. But we would have to get in a room and iron some things out first.

RN: What’s going on with Doro?

Johnny Dee: We just finished up a tour of Europe. Pretty much the last dates for the “Fear No Evil” album and promoting the “25 Years In Rock” DVD. Now the new CD is being finished up. I think they are looking at a single around the summer and have a fall release. So there is not a lot of touring at the beginning of this year. There will be some shows in Norway in April and nothing again until festival season. I am sure we will do some festivals in Europe. We have some down time waiting for the record to be finished up. She is still working on it. It’s coming together.

RN: Doro really is the Queen Of Metal. She still has pipes.

Johnny Dee: She is amazing. I have never seen anyone work so hard and not have to work hard at singing. She will do interviews for eight hours straight and walk on stage and sing for two and a half hours. She never complains and never takes a day off.

RN: Let’s talk about your down time. Right now you are here with The Electric Boa in Sellersville PA opening for Anvil. How did you hook up with these guys?

Johnny Dee: I hooked up with these guys sometime in 2011. I liked the songs and I liked the guys and I wanted to help out. They needed a drummer and I had some time off so I said let’s do it. It’s cool to be opening for a national act because playing around Philly these days, it’s hard to get people out to the shows.

RN: What do you think of the scene in Philadelphia now opposed to what it was back when you were out with Britny Fox?

Johnny Dee: I am much older now than I was back then. And I sit back and think is it because I’m older. I’m in my 40s and I just don’t know what’s going on, on the scene or is it just that fucking dead.

Mistress Katie: It’s that dead. When you have to drive three states away to see a good show. It’s that dead.

Johnny Dee: Yeah to me is like a microcosm of the whole industry. There is not one place to go and have a good time. Back then you could go to the Empire ( Rock Club) and I don’t give a shit who was playing you were going to see a great show and see a shit load of people that were exactly like you having fun. And see people you knew. It was like a gathering place. I’m talking about the clubs that support original music that gives bands a place to play. Philadelphia is lacking that. There are a lot of places that just don’t care. It’s all numbers. Who does all ages shows anymore? No one wants to take a chance because they want a bottom line number at the end of the night. They want cover bands and people to drink. They want mindless music because some people don’t give a shit what they listen to. Some of it has to do with people’s music taste as well. People are spoon feed bullshit and they start to think it taste good. They don’t know any better. People should go out and see some local original music. There are some people and places that support local original music but unfortunately the numbers are smaller than when we were hanging at places like the Galaxy and the Empire.

The cool thing about The Electric Boa is that I see a little bit of a resurgence. The band has a vibe that people want to see. People do come out and they come up front and they want to be part of the show. And that’s what this band is all about. It’s about the fans, it’s about showing people a good time with good songs. Come see the band have a good time and get in on the energy. It’s pretty cool. It’s about as good as it can be at this point until that wave catches on again.

FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT:

THE ELECTRIC BOA

DORO 

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19
Dec
11

Ace Frehley Bassist Anthony Esposito interviewed

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Categories: Interviews

Ace Frehley Bassist Anthony Esposito interviewed

RN: What’s up man how have you been?

Anthony Esposito: Great man.

RN: I caught your show in Allentown PA. You guys did a killer job.

Anthony Esposito: Thank you. That was a crazy show. It was a lot of fun. That was the first time we have been back there since the New Years Eve show a few years back.

 

RN: First I wanted to ask what kind of bass are you playing.

Anthony Esposito: I am so honored to have been asked to play this bass. The guys name is James Trussart. The body is metal and it’s hollow. It has to be one of the best basses I have ever played. You can find him on line. I urge everyone to look him up.

RN: I wanted to ask you, how did you get the Ace Frehley gig?

Anthony Esposito: Well about five or 6 years ago. I went to his house for an audition and we just clicked.

RN: What’s next for the Ace Frehley band?

Anthony Esposito: We were supposed to go to England but those shows have been canceled. Ace broke his wrist. I think we are going to be touring in support of Ace’s book. That landed on the New York Times best sellers list. I know there is talk about doing a 1978 solo album tour and there is some talk about doing a new CD.

RN: What do you consider some of your best moments on stage with or without Ace?

Anthony Esposito: When I was in the 5th grade I played this talent show. I remember doing two Ramones songs and doing two Kiss songs. As an adult I was in a band called The Remains with Marky and Dee Dee Ramone and I played those two Ramones songs with them and now playing with Ace I am playing those 2 Kiss songs. Playing with members of two of your favorite bands as a kid is pretty awesome. Every night when Ace goes into the solo of  “Love Gun” I get chills. There are a lot of moments that you don’t even think of until they are over. And you think back and go wow. Playing Mr. Scary with George Lynch when I was in Lynch Mob was pretty cool. We did a gig with Ace in Sweden in front of 85,000 people. The bill was us, Def Leppard, Tesla and White Snake., and playing Cold Gin along side of Ace in front of 85,000 people is just incredible. Another one was a few years back we played a Halloween show opening for Alice Cooper. We all wore Ace’s make up. Being in the space man costume and looking over at Ace playing with out face paint was crazy.

RN: How is that going from 85,000 people to a small club?

Anthony Esposito: I know this sounds like a cop out and a lot of people say this but I prefer the small clubs. The fans are right in front of you with no police barricade. It just feels right.

RN: What do you do when you’re not playing with Ace?

Anthony Esposito: When I lived in New York I owned a studio called School House Studios. We did Ace’s last record there. We did bands like the Misfits, The New Your Dolls and Green Day. I moved the studio to Pennsylvania when I moved there. I just produced my first band there called ” 1 Echo 1 ” they are a really good band from Harrisburg PA. So you can say I am open for business.

RN: Did you produce the bands as well?

Anthony Esposito: I didn’t produce all the bands. I did produce some. I engineered some. Ace pretty much produced his album himself. Ace and I did all the pre-production. Anton did the drums. A lot of his song ideas were on various digital recorders that he had during the Kiss tour and it just all came together.  Than we got Anton in there on the drums and just played everything out to see how it would all fit together, and that’s pretty much    how Anomaly happened.

RN: What’s the name of your new Studio?

Anthony Esposito: Obscenic Arts. It’s In Dillsburg, Pennsylvania.

RN: What do you like the most about producing music?

Anthony Esposito: I really like helping younger bands get more out of their songs than they thought they had. It’s fun. That’s what I enjoy.

RN: Can you tell me about the band Pisser you are also in?

Anthony Esposito: Pisser is a band that I am in with Frank Ferer who is in Guns N Roses and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitar who is also in Guns N Roses and this amazing singer Eric J. Toast.

RN: How would you describe Pisser’s sound?

Anthony Esposito: I would say 1970’s AC/DC with Iggy Pop singing that’s what Pisser sounds like. It’s a lot of fun.

RN: Even though you guys are all in different bands and are on the road a lot Pisser is something you guys are going to move forward with?

Anthony Esposito: Yeah…The problem is that those guys are on tour with Guns N Roses and I’m out with Ace it’s hard to find time to do it. As soon as Guns N Roses gets off tour we will record. We are just not home at the same time. But Pisser is a joy to be in. It’s like four friends that just get together and have a good time. The band really is something to see live and we are going to try and capture that on CD.

RN: What else will you be working on in the New Year?

Anthony Esposito: I’ll be working with Todd Youth on his band called The Chelsea Smiles. I think we should be doing that in January. And I should be starting work on a new Pure 13 record.  Any day making music is a good day in my book.

FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT:

Obscenic Arts On Facebook

Anthony Esposito

Pisser On Facebook

Ace Frehley.com

1 echo 1

For Pictures Of the Ace show in Allentown PA CLICK HERE

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

AND REMEMBER “THE ROCKNIGHTMARE RADIO SHOW” EVERY SUNDAY MORNING

10 AM E.S.T. GO TO ROCKADDICTRADIO.COM TO CHECK OUT THE SHOW

 

26
Nov
11

Interview w/ Walt Kosar of Careless

By Dante 2 Comments
Categories: CD Reviews and Interviews

 

Careless – Coalition – CD Review

Instead of doing a straight review I have to say, I first heard “Careless” on an internet radio show called “Keep It Metal” that streams on www.rockaddictradio.com. No this is not a shameless plug for our show that is streamed on the same site. What it is, is honesty? Before Rock Addict Radio gave us our show, “The Rock Nightmare Radio Show”, I was just hanging out listening to tunes and “Careless” was playing. At first I thought wow this is old but I dug it enough to ask about it. I started to check their stuff out online. Than a few weeks later I get an email from a press agent asking if I would like to review the CD and or maybe do an interview. It was a coincidence indeed. So I gave the CD a few spins and wrote a review. Than I did the interview and it changed the way I looked at the CD.

I am not going to point out the obvious, you can hear it for yourself. The vocals are perfect. The guitar parts are perfect, and the bass and drum tracks are perfect. But what you don’t hear on the CD is that it was recorded decades apart. They did one half in the 80’s and the other half starting in 2008 and the musicianship is stellar. The production value might not be up to par with the likes of Queensryche or Rush but it’s not bad either. This is an old school metal CD made today. Not by a band that decided to make a nostalgic sounding CD. But by a few friends that just love the music, and decided it was time to get their asses in gear and release the music they made and while at it throw in some new stuff. Give it a listen for yourself. They are streaming it for free on their website. If you like BUY IT.

 

　I interviewed Walt Kosar (guitar) you can check out the interview below

RN: For people that do not know who you are. Tell us about Careless and how you’re CD “Coalition” came about?

Walt Kosar: Jim and I met in college during the 80’s. We both studied music and I was in the practice room one day and Jim popped his head in to ask what I was playing. I said I was playing Rush and we hit it off, and from there we started to write music together. We wrote about half the recording back then. We lost touch through out the years and with the power of the internet we reconnected in 2008, and we decided all these years later that some of the material might be worth revisiting. We wrote some more and now we have “Coalition“.

RN: You live nowhere near each other, technology must have played a big part in the recording process, is that right?

Walt Kosar: Actually it was done in two parts. Again, half of it was done back in the 80’s and recently we flew out to California to lay down the new tracks. We did a lot of file sending back in forth to get things done too.

RN: Considering the long history you guys have together and you live so far apart, why after all these years did you decide to put this CD out?

Walt Kosar: Half the songs that are on “Coalition” were recorded when technology was not that great. All these years later I was writing new music and the old songs started to dwell on me. And when we reconnected we decided to put it out.

RN: Is there any chance that you guys will perform live, now and then or do a tour of some kind?

Walt Kosar: We talk about it all the time. If we had an opportunity to do it, we would. But I think it would have to be something like Europe or South America where they have a large fan base for this kind of music. That would be a dream come true.

RN:  Is there a theme running through this CD?

Walt Kosar: It was written as somewhat of a concept album. If this was a record or a cassette tape, the first side and the first 6 tracks would have been one concept. If you flip the record over the next 5 tracks would be another.

RN:  What are the concepts about?

Walt Kosar: Wow, James would be a better person to ask. (Laughs) The first concept is about oppression. Someone being held down and in the end he or she finds their way to make it through. So it ends on a positive note. The second concept, tracks 7 through 11 are based on a few “Isaac Asimov” novels.

RN: I just find it wild that the first six songs were written back in the 80’s and you guys just recently got back together and did the next 5 songs and you didn’t miss a beat. The CD as a whole sounds like it was recorded in one session. Most people are not on the same page after a few months. You had years apart and came back together with the same sound you had in the early years of the band.

Walt Kosar: It really is a story of friendship. It was a labor of love. We all get along great and we enjoy making music together. We are not trying to hide who we are or our age. We are not trying to be nostalgic or fake. We all grew up loving the same kind of music. and it shows.

RN: Was this just a one shot deal or is there more “Careless” music on the way?

Walt Kosar: No this is not a one shot deal. We know we are not going to get rich on this., but if we sell enough copies to make another CD great. If not we will put up the cash ourselves. Be rest assured there is more “Careless” on the way.

For more info about Careless and to hear their tunes for FREE check out: The Careless Website

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

AND REMEMBER “THE ROCKNIGHTMARE RADIO SHOW” EVERY SUNDAY MORNING

10 AM E.S.T. GO TO ROCKADDICTRADIO.COM TO CHECK OUT THE SHOW

30
Oct
11

Interview w/ Former Korn Guitarist Brian “Head” Welch

By Dante 1 Comment
Categories: Interviews

Interview w/ Former Korn Guitarist Brian “Head” Welch

I conducted an interview with Brian “Head Welch shortly following his performance on 10/21 at Eleanor Rigby‘s in Jermyn PA. Check it out……

RN: How is the tour going?

B.H.W. Good. It’s been big and small places. Every show has been great.

RN: Tell me about your new single “Paralyzed”. It sounds a lot like Korn.

B.H.W. I think the band was going in a different direction when I was leaving. They wanted to try more stuff like the “See You On The Other Side” record. I liked more of the old school sound and they like to reinvent them selves. I think that’s the main reason.

RN: How different is your new CD going to be from your last CD “Save Me From Myself”?

B.H.W. It’s going to be more mainstream. My first solo record was more experimental. The songs were long. It had some tripped out sounds and stuff like that. This one is going to be more like a mainstream record. I’m getting back into playing heavy riffs. The first one didn’t have a lot of that.

RN: You recently put out a video for “Paralyzed“. Looking back on making the video what are your thoughts on it?

B.H.W. That was a fun video to shoot. What was cool, a lot of directors do take after take after take. This guy only did four takes of the big room with the whole band. And three takes each of the band members and that was it. It was a wrap.

RN: Since you found God how has the your fan acceptance been?

B.H.W. It’s getting better. I think the first solo record was ok. It had some decent moments. Some people dug it. I don’t think a lot of people jumped on it. But the last couple weeks paralyzed got 40,000 views on Youtube for so I think that’s speaking for itself. More people are opening up to it. So we will see how it goes.

RN: Is your band considered a Christian rock band.

B.H.W. I am a Christine guy. But I would prefer not to be labeled that. I’m a Christian guy playing the same metal music I have always played. Singing about pain and things we all go through. People are going to say what they are going to say. Some people shut their doors on things that are labeled Christine. Don’t be so uptight everybody.  We are all the same.

RN: I noticed you have speaking events booked. I have also watched one on youtube that you did not to long ago. Do you do these often?

B.H.W. Whenever I’m not touring I go out and speak. It’s fun for me to do. I love it. And I have this gift; I attract people that are really hurting in life. And I look at them and I tell them I was hurting too and I got out of it. You can see hope and positive things happening in their eyes. And people tell me “man you make me feel like I can do this” and for me there is nothing better than that. It’s really cool and I love it.

RN: How do you separate your live performance from your speaking engagements?

B.H.W. It is just who I am inside. If I’m on stage or not. I want to connect with people however I can. My music is hard and powerful but at the same time I just want to tell the truth about the whole rock star thing. It can be a trap if you are not careful. Drugs and alcohol can really ruin lives. I have seen it ruin a lot of people and it almost ruined my life.

RN: After this tour what are your plans. As far as getting the new album finished and touring?

B.H.W. We are hitting the studio November 7th. And we will be in the studio until the album is done. We are going to be focused. Nothing until April of next year as far as traveling goes. So we will see.

RN: Brian thank you for your time.

B.H.W. No problem Dante, Thank you for yours.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FOR ”PARALYZED” HERE

FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT HEAD’S FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

30
Oct
11

Interview w/ The Dogs Divine Bassist Jim Hart

By Dante 1 Comment
Categories: CD Reviews and Interviews

Interview w/ The Dogs Divine Bassist Jim Hart

The wait is over. After four years The Dogs Divine have returned and will drop their new CD “Size Of The Fight” on November 8th via Mortal Music. This CD is classic Dogs Divine with a modern feel that any rock/metal fan could appreciate. Killer walking bass lines, heavy riffs, wicked guitar solos and I think vocalist Tom Heart has a very unique vocal style that makes this band stand out from a lot of other bands out there that have fallen into the trap of sounding like everyone else. The CD is solid all the way through so I can not pick a stand out song. But I will say the band puts an ass kickin on Queen’s “I’m In Love With My Car”. I never liked that song. But I like it now. I had to go back and check out Queen’s version of the song. I must say The Dogs do it better.

I had a chance to Interview Bassist Jim Hart check out the interview below and check out The Dogs Diving here.

RN: Jim how are you? It’s been along time since I seen you.

Jim Hart: I’m good man. I’m just hanging out waiting for this CD to be released.

RN: Well I don’t want to waste your time we can get right into it if you want?

Jim Hart: Sure go for it.

RN: What can people expect from the new Dogs CD “Size Of The Fight”?

Jim Hart: On the new album you can hear typical Dogs style music but you can also hear a difference between this new album and the last one. . I think we have the same writing style but the music has a heavier edge to it.

RN: Your old school influences really bleed through on your last CD “Way Of Life” does the same go for the new CD.

Jim Hart: I think so. We have a song call “FDLF”. That song is very Sunset Strip, Sleazy Rock kind of a Faster Pussycat type sound. On our last CD you can hear the bands we listened to growing up. Motley Crue, LA Guns, Faster Pussycat. On this one you can hear our heavier influences that came later.  On this album we have an instrumental, we use violin. There is a song called Gypsy King that is kind of bluesy. Where we use slide guitar and stuff like that. We let all the stuff we grew up on influence us. And we let it take its course. To be honest I think I’m to close to it to judge it. Sometimes when you are in a band and you write it you might think it sounds one way and other people will tell you they hear something different.

RN: Tell me about the instrumental.

Jim Hart: We wanted to do an instrumental and we dedicated it to our grandpa Gussie who passed away a couple years ago. He bought us guitars and drums and P.As when we were kids and used to let us practice at his house. He would give us money when we went out on tour. He was very supportive.

RN: “Way Of Life” came out in 2008 why such a long wait?

Jim Hart: We toured a lot. Than we had a few lineup changes. Than we toured some more. And when it was time to go in and do a new album we had more lineup changes. It took some time but we self financed the album. It was kind of hard because we don’t live near each other. We would get a couple thousand dollars and get together and do a few songs. Then we would get another couple thousand dollars saved up and do a few more songs. So it took awhile.

RN: Are you guys going independent?

Jim Hart: No, we signed with a label called Mortal Music. They are based in Chicago. Owned by SOiL bassist Tim King and Twelfth Gate’s Rob Such.

RN: Any Videos we should be on the look out for?

Jim Hart: We shot two videos. We shot one for the song “Hell Wouldn’t Have Me” that is going to be the single. And another for the song “Dogs” That we will do something with later on down the road.

RN: And what about touring.

Jim Hart: Right now we are doing little runs. Until the CD comes out and we will see what happens.

RN: I know you have toured and played shows with a lot of bands. Who are some of the people you would like tour with?

Jim Hart:  I’m a huge Motorhead fan. I would pass out if someone told me we were going to do a show with Motorhead.

RN: Why did you decide to become a bass player?

Jim Hart: Bob Daisley. I heard “Diary Of  A Madman” first. I was amazed. He was the biggest influence on me playing bass. When I was a kid music was everything to me. Even if you were not in a band. It was everything to everyone I knew. We would have parties based around video release dates on MTV. Back then you knew everybody’s name and you knew everything about your favorite band. Now I don’t think it matters to anyone anymore.

RN: Jim thank you for your time.

Jim Hart: No problem thanks for having me.

Check Out The Dogs Diving here

Pre Order The Dogs Divine “Size Of The Fight” HERE

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

16
Oct
11

Rains frontman Jeff Rains Interviewed

By Dante Leave a Comment
Categories: Interviews

What going on everyone? I had a conversation with Singer / Song Writer Jeff Rains from the band “Rains” sometime last week. Check it out.

RN: How long ago did you start the band “Rains“?

Jeff Rains: I started about 10 years ago. And at first I just wrote and recorded everything my self. About 6 years ago I started to hire random musicians to play live with me. I would teach them the stuff and we would do shows. About four years ago we were getting looked at by Hollywood Records and they referred us to a management group that was based in Toronto. That was a production studio as well. And I would say it was in that four years the band started to come together.  And we were not a band until about 2 years ago.

RN: I heard you just got added to the “Share The Welt Tour” featuring Five Finger Death Punch, Hatebreed and All That Remains.

Jeff Rains: We wanted to do the whole tour because there are a lot of places that we are going to hit that we have not been able to get to. Places we have a good fan base in. Plus Five Finger Death Punch, Hatebreed and All That Remains are great bands. This is going to be a great tour. So we are excited about that.

RN: Who have you toured with in the past?

Jeff Rains: We did a lot of club tours. We toured with Framing Hanley a lot. There are too many to remember. But the Framing Hanley tour was sold out everywhere we went.

RN: You also have a new single out now?

Jeff Rains: Look in my eyes is #63 on the media based charts right now.

RN: What about a video?

Jeff Rains: That is just video clips of past tours. We plan on going in and doing a proper video but tour dates keep coming up so we are going to play it by ear.

RN: You guys are an independent band, correct?

Jeff Rains: We are totally independent.

RN: Are you looking for a label or are you happy being independent?

Jeff Rains: I’m not going to lie to you. It takes a lot of money to do this. But if you can find somebody that believes in you and believes in what you are doing and is willing to invest, it makes it a lot easier. Going independent is hard. But I don’t see any point in signing to a label. We have our own distribution set up. Our own PR. Our own radio and promo you name we have it. So I am very content with where I am at.

RN: Being the main song writer, how do you come up with things to write about? Do you pick a topic and roll with it or does it just hit you?

Jeff Rains: It’s a lot of 3 in the morning stuff. It just kind of happens. I have tried to pick it apart to find out how and why people relate to it. I think you just have to be honest and write how you write. I personally can not sit down and write a song. It just happens when it happens. Unfortunately an album can take two months or it can take two years. I have no idea. It just happens.

RN: How many Albums have you released?

Jeff Rains: There are three out there out there floating around. The very first one I did sold 12,000 copies and I wish I can get all 12,000 back. Somehow we timed myspace right and people liked it and bought the record. Then we did a demo and somehow that got released. Now we have this record. And this one you can get at Best Buy and stuff like that.

RN: To someone that has never heard you, how would you describe the sound of the band?

Jeff Rains: I was brought up on 70’s rock, country music and the Seattle music scene. I would say it’s a strong combination.

RN: Have you written any new stuff since the release of “Stories”?

Jeff Rains: Yes, we have had a lot of time since this album has been done. Our first single “Liar” was released 2 years ago on Octane. It was requested and made it to the top five on the station. I have had a lot of time to write in between tours. I think that’s a good thing because when you are dealing with a major label you get pushed to keep putting out records. That’s when people start putting out shit just to put something out to meet their quota.

RN: Do you have an idea of when you are going to start recording you next CD?

Jeff Rains: It pretty much depends on touring. I have been talking to some producers. That’s one good thing I have in my favor. I can pretty much work with who I want to as far as production goes. If we have January off than I want to go in and get some stuff done but if we are touring than it will have to wait. But I would like to have a new record out by summer 2012.  I have way to much shit on my mind to write about to hold it in for another year.

RN: Hey Jeff thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you when you come through Pennsylvania.

Jeff Rains: No problem. Thank you for having me see you soon.

FOR MORE INFO AND TOUR DATES CHECK OUT:

RAINS ON FACEBOOK 

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

10
Oct
11

AdaKain Frontman Travis Buck Interviewed

By Dante Leave a Comment
Categories: Interviews

Quite directly, AdaKaiN are four guys in search of the rock’n’roll dream.  At a time when that dream has become more elusive, AdaKaiN refuses to take anything but “yes” for an answer.  Drummer Ryan Carroll, was in a Universal Republic band named Element 80, that got some national attention.  But other than Carroll,  the members of AdaKaiN have been struggling at day jobs to accumulate enough money to help make their dream come true.

In 2008 they first burst on the local Dallas scene.  Their self-released LP “Together In the Heart” garnered support in Texas and surrounding areas.  The band set out to tour “hard core” as they put it.  Living on less than $10 a day each, they toured with bands such as Crossfade, Bobaflex, Pop Evil, Taproot and many others.

They collected  a strong local following in Dallas and America’s Southwest.  It was time to reach further.  In early 2011 they released “Silhouette of Lies” an EP, produced by Travis Wyrick (Ten  Years, Since October, Disciple) featuring their dynamic new vocalist Travis Buck.

Buck’s soaring vocals enhance the melodic nature of the the band and quickly has attracted new fans.  “Good Time Girl” a biographical track, written by Buck about a good girl gone bad, is the the lead track from the EP.  It has already attracted the attention of radio programmers coast to coast.

 

Travis Buck took time out to give me a buzz check out the interview below

RN: Travis how are you.

Travis Buck: I’m good. How are you?

RN: All is good. Thanks for calling. Where are you at right now?

Travis Buck: Right now we are in Chico, California. We are out with Crossfade.

RN: How is that going?

Travis Buck: Real good.

RN: How long are you going to be out for?

Travis Buck: This is kind of a short run. I think it ends Oct. 8th.  It’s going to be all west coast dates. We did some east coast dates with them late spring early summer. We seem to fit well with them so it’s going great.

RN: So what’s going on? I heard you guys are releasing another single?

Travis Buck: Yeah, Good Time Girl was our first. Now “Sky Is Falling” is going to radio from our Silhouette Of Lies EP.

RN: When was Silhouette Of Lies released?

Travis Buck: Back in March.

RN: If you had to sum up “Silhouette Of Lies” by picking one aspect of the CD what would it be?

Travis Buck: One thing I’m really proud of on this EP is that no one song is the same. They are all really different, but the album as a whole flows really well. So there is something for everyone.

RN: What’s it like on the Dallas scene?

Travis Buck: I have to be honest. I love Dallas but the scene has really gone down hill over the last 5 years. It’s real clicky. It’s weird how different the markets are. We love the east coast. And people in Michigan really love their music. The come out to see new music. And that is dieing out in a lot of places.

RN: Considering I’m in Pennsylvania I have to ask what are some of your favorite places around here.

Travis Buck: Allentown was pretty nice. It’s a unique place and looks like it has a lot of history. The pizza place out front has its own vibe. And Lancaster was great as well.

RN:  When do you plan on getting back over here?

Travis Buck: We want to come to the east coast as soon as we can but we have to see.

RN: What got you into playing music?

Travis Buck: I have always enjoyed music. When I was in 6th grade I got my first guitar. I was in a high school band and I thought I should try singing and here I am. There is some thing about being on a stage. It’s a feeling that I really can’t describe. But I really like Deftones and bands link that.

RN: What are some of the challenges of being an opening act?

Travis Buck: As an opener you have to fight for that spot in their memory of that night. You want them to remember your performance. They are going to remember the headliner. As an opener you really are out here to prove yourself. So the next time we come through hopefully you think we are worth checking out again.

RN:  Where can people buy you CD.?

Travis Buck: I-Tunes, and if they want a hard copy that can be picked up at a show.

RN:  Hey Travis thank you for your time and giving us a buzz from the road.

Travis Buck: No man than you.

FOR MORE INFOR CHECK OUT  THE BAND’S FACEBOOK PAGE

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

18
Sep
11

The Things They Carried:Interview W/Steve Schwartz

By Dante Leave a Comment
Categories: Interviews

The Things They Carried:Interview W/Steve Schwartz

Long Island’s The Things They Carried, or 3TC as they are affectionately called by their hometown fans, is a band on a mission. After recording their first EP “Attention Crisis” in spring of 2009, the band hit the road with a vengeance touring the east coast for just over a year. By summer of 2010 3TC knew it was time to head into the studio again and make a record. “We wanted to create something that all of us were equally excited about. We wanted every song to be as good as the next, no fillers!” singer/songwriter Steve Schwartz explains. The band headed to Shoreline, Washington just outside of Seattle to work with famed producer Casey Bates (Chiodos, Pierce The Veil, Isles and Glaciers, Fall of Troy). With Casey on board the band knew that this record would be exactly everything they wanted and everything that there fans would hopefully want.

Released on Dec.17th 2010. The album titled “There’s Something I Can’t Tell Anyone” talks about many issues that people can relate to whether it be a relationship gone sour, feeling like you don’t belong, a secret that you’re afraid to share with anyone, or self image issues. “I like to write about issues that people don’t really talk about and keep locked inside” explains Steve Schwartz. 3TC has definitively created a sound they can call their own, while including aspects that fans love to hear. The band’s ability to switch from intense screaming and heavy breakdowns to epic sing along choruses will keep you asking, “What’s Next?” Live, 3TC, leaves it all on the stage. “Without an amazing live show to back up a record, you can’t really move forward” says drummer Andy Illiano.

With a 2011 tour in the works The Things They Carried are focused on making their mark and continuing to write music that they are proud of and hopefully inspires others.

The bands philosophy is best summarized by frontman Steve Schwartz: “Music, we believe is about taking risks, putting yourself out there, and hopefully people grab on to it.”

Interview W/Steve Schwartz

RN: A lot of my favorite bands come from NY. Where do you see “The Things They Carried” fitting into the New York scene?

Steve Schwartz: In a way I want to say I don’t want to fit in. We want 3TC to be its own thing and standout from everyone else.

RN: How long have you guys been together?

Steve Schwartz: We have been a band for about two and half years.

RN: You guys are headed out on tour. When does the tour start and how long are you going to be out for?

Steve Schwartz: We are starting to book dates now to do a mid west tour. The tour is scheduled to start October 14th we do a kick off show in Long Island NY then we go to NJ then PA and Ohio then all over the mid west.

RN: Tell us about your CD “There’s Something I Can’t Tell Anyone”?

Steve Schwartz: We formed the band then we made a five song E.P. called “Attention Crisis”. Then we noticed the crowd reaction. The reaction was good but we thought it could be better. So we went back and reworked the songs to make it a little heavier and a little more exciting. On the album “There’s Something I Can’t Tell Anyone” you are getting the five songs that appeared on the E.P. but they are reworked and they sound different and you are getting five brand new songs.

RN: How long have you been playing music for and what inspires you to write?

Steve Schwartz: I have been playing music all my life. I started playing piano when I was five years old. I picked up the guitar when I was thirteen and started singing when I was seventeen. I like movie scores and all different types of styles and genres.

RN: How about the other guys in the band?

Steve Schwartz: We have a lot of different influences in this band. I’m coming from bands like Tool, Radiohead and System Of A Down. Another guy is coming from bands like The Police and another guy is coming from bands like Thrice. We like to throw all that in there and see what we can come up with. It’s real interesting sometimes to see what happens.

RN: Have you been working on any new material?

Steve Schwartz: Absolutely, we have been doing shows none stop. But now we don’t have any shows booked until the tour starts. So these past few weeks we have been able to focus on a lot of new material. The writing has been great.  And it’s real exciting. We are doing things we have not done in the past and we are being more experimental.

RN: So what is in store for 3TC fans in the near future?

Steve Schwartz: Our plan is to tour up until next September then start recording our next one. But the new material is videocoming along nice.

For more info and Tour Dates check out

The Things They Carried – Facebook Page

 364 Day Anniversary Video can be viewed here

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

18
Sep
11

BOBAFLEX Interview W/ Marty McCoy

By Dante Leave a Comment
Categories: Interviews and Uncategorized

BOBAFLEX Interview W/ Marty McCoy

RN: What’s up brother? How are things?

Marty McCoy: Things are going great. The band is kicking ass and taking names. We are doing it all on our own. Our song Guns is climbing up the charts. The industry turned their back on us and we are now our own label.

RN: I have to say congratulations, “Hell In My Heart” is the best record I have heard I a long time. I absolutely love it.  Who did the production?

Marty McCoy:  Thank you. That really means a lot. We got with Chuck Alkazian and did a few tracks with him. He really got the fire back under the band. Then we went to Columbus Ohio and got with Joe Viers, who did a lot of our records. He did “Apologize For Nothing” and did all the demo work on “Tales From Dirt Town”.

RN: What makes Bobaflex different from other bands?

Marty McCoy:  No one is doing what we are doing except for KISS. We have three lead singers and all three of us sing on different tracks. Our bass player (Jerod Mankin) finally hit the mic on this record. We have been trying to get him to do it for years and he is finally doing it. It’s really cool and I’m excited about it.

RN: I think that’s what I like most about you guys. You mix it up and you give fans a variety of different styles. And there isn’t one key member of the band. Everyone has their own identity. Like Kiss or Motley Crue.

Marty McCoy:  For a while it was a double edged sword. It was a curse. But it is what sets us apart from everybody else. People could not understand why we didn’t have one screamer up front and have everybody else banging their heads in the background. We all want to sing. We all want to have a good time and play what we want.

RN: How is “Hell In My Heart” being received by fans new and old?

Marty McCoy:  Again it was a knife in our side for a long time because promoters would say we are not heavy enough to go on tour with “Butchered At Birth” and we are not light enough to go on tour with “Saving Abel”. It was this weird thing, we never really fit in. Now finally people are coming around to our sound and people are digging the record. And we are getting good reviews.

RN: I wanted to ask you about one of the songs on “Hell In My Heart” called “Empty Man”. I wrote in my review of the CD that “Empty Man sounds like something Kiss would have done but heavier” I wanted to know if  that was a correct assumption or if I was drawing lines that just aren’t there.

Marty McCoy:  Thank you. You’re absolutely right. Kiss is one of our favorite bands. That’s why everybody sings in the band because of Kiss and bands like the Eagles. That’s the shit we grew on. Kiss is one of the greatest bands ever. One of my favorite records is Ace’s solo record.

RN: You can definitely hear the old school influence on this record.

Marty McCoy:  I think the 80’s influence really came out a lot on this new record. My brother and I are into all the 80’s metal. A lot of bands like Pretty Boy Floyd and Shotgun Messiah.

RN: I love Pretty Boy Floyd. I just caught them at the M3 Festival this summer. They did a great job. I thought they should have been higher up on the bill.

Marty McCoy:  Steve “Sex” Summers and Kristy “Crash” Majors, man they still have it.

RN: Yeah they do.

Marty McCoy:  They were some good times. I remember my brother would go to the record store and buy a record just because of the way the cover looked. He would bring it home and say I should like these guys look at the album cover.

RN: Back then we all did that. There was no internet to look at shit. We had to leave our houses to buy music. I bought my first Iron Maiden record because of the cover.

Marty McCoy:  I remember sitting in my bedroom and just looking at album covers for hours. The Molly Hatchet art work, a Frank Rosetta painting. I remember as a kid saying to myself “one day I’m going to have an album and the dragon on my cover is going to be bigger and better than your dragon”.  And that’s the vibe we had going into this record. I love our album cover. My brother is a big time comic book fan and he had a big part of designing the cover as well as a friend of ours.

RN: The sound of the band changed a lot over the years. I didn’t like “Primitive Epic“ at all. Than I heard “Apologize For Nothing” and thought this is real good. And became a fan. Then “Tales From Dirt Town” and I was in shock that this was the same band. The song “Home” is one of my favorite songs ever. Now “Hell In My Heart” which is your best and again one of the best records I heard in years.

Marty McCoy:  I don’t like “Primitive Epic“much either. And I think you can see the change over with “Apologize For Nothing”. When “Tales From Dirt Town” came out things were going really well. The people at TVT were really good to us and there were some people over there that really cared about the band. They thought that our single “Home” was going to go far. When “Home” came out during the second week of radio play we got told the label went bankrupt. It was devastating to a lot of people at TVT and of course us.

Looking back it was probably the best thing to happen to us. Being the black sheep of the industry we were lucky to get with TVT.  Knowing the labels are not going to do anything for us. They never wanted anything to do with us in the first place. We thought “let’s do what ever we want. Who knows what the future holds for us. Who knows if it will be our last record?” So when someone brought in a song we didn’t sit around and pick it apart and think about it we just did it. If someone walked in and wanted it on the album it went on the album. We didn’t question each other. We are a band and this time around we were going to do what we wanted to do for us. We did not question the genre or how heavy it was or how light it was or what style it was because who knows if it was going to be our last. And fortunately now, it does not appear to be the case. I think we made a good enough record this time around to be able to make another one together because we are the label now and we are not dropping the band.

What happen with “Tales From Dirt Town” was that my brother he just had a baby. Our guitar player we had at the time was mixed up with drugs and getting into some crazy stuff. Our bass was married and our drummer and I were really focused and took pieces of everybody’s songs and worked on them really hard and thought we had a pretty good record.

On this record, the divorces were final, the guitar player we had is gone and we have a new guitar player that we have known since we were kids he brought a new fire to the band. And like I said we did what we wanted to do. If someone brought in a song we said “cool lets record it“. And I think that’s what we always needed…..that go fuck yourself to the industry attitude. Labels won’t sign us, booking agents don’t want anything to do with us and no one wants to take us on tour, fuck’em we will do what we want and we will do it our way.

RN: Wow bro on that note I think it’s a wrap. Thank you for your time Marty.

Marty McCoy:  Any Time Dante thank you.

For more information, check out the Bobaflex Facebook page:
Check out Bobaflex on iTunes

Check Out Our Interview With “Shaun McCoy” Here

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

05
Sep
11

Interview w/ Robb Rivera and Elias Soriano of Nonpoint

By Dante Leave a Comment
Categories: Interviews

Interview w/ Robb Rivera and Elias Soriano of Nonpoint

We had a chance to hang out and interview Robb Rivera and Elias Soriano of Nonpoint on their bus during their 8/18 stop in Lancaster PA at the Chameleon Club. Check it out.

RN: I read on your facebook page this is the last cycle of the “Miracle” tour. Is that correct?

Robb Rivera: Yes it is.

RN: Since the Miracle Tour is now coming to a close do you have any moments from this tour that stick out that are special?

Robb Rivera: Ozzfest was pretty cool. We played the main stage with Motley Crue, Rob Halford, and Ozzy. That was a lot of fun. Soundwave in Australia was great and we did Download. The All That Remains Tour was really cool too.

RN: After this you guys are going right back to start recording you next CD is that correct?

Elias Soriano: Yes.

RN: Do you have any thing planed for your next CD yet?

Elias Soriano: No nothing at all.

RN: You didn’t start writing anything yet?

Robb Rivera: No nothing we are still putting stuff together. There is nothing really set yet.

RN: Do you have an idea for the direction of the album?

Elias Soriano: Pretty much the same direction.

RN: Just straight up Nonpoint.

Elias Soriano: Yeah pretty much.

RN: Any idea for the time of release?

Robb Rivera: We are looking at a summer release hopefully.

RN: How do you guys write? Do you come in with ideas or do you just get in a room and let it happen?

Elias Soriano: We all write our own parts. I write the lyrics, Robb writes the drums, Zach writes the guitar parts and Ken writes the bass parts. It’s a group effort. We all contribute.

Robb Rivera: We don’t have a formula.

Elias Soriano: It’s like pot luck.

RN: Looking back at your catalog what do you consider to be your best effort?

Elias Soriano: The fans seem to think “To The Pain” is our best.

Robb Rivera: Every record has its own special place but “To The Pain” is the record that everyone seems to know and like.

RN: “To The Pain” was your most commercialized record. But what album do you feel is your best or your favorite?

Robb Rivera: I’m partial to “Statement” because it was our first and playing those songs for so many years locally then to finally see it get released was real special to me. But “To The Pain” has a lot of variety on it. If you ask me what I think is our most complete record, I would have to say “To The Pain“.

Mistress R. Nightmare: Where can you get a hold of the first four albums?

Elias Soriano: Probably Amazon or Ebay.

Mistress R. Nightmare: What about “Separate Yourself “?

Elias Soriano: That, your gonna have to get from somebody. That’s really hard to find.

Mistress R. Nightmare: Do you have anything you want to say to your fans?

Robb Rivera: Thanks for your continued support and keep checking our facebook page for updates.

Elias Soriano: And that’s what we like the most because we get to talk to our fans so check out our facebook.

For Pictures Of The Show Click Here  

 FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT the Nonpoint facebook page

AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE ”ROCKNIGHTMARE.COM”  ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

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